Electronic device supporting multiple windows and method of controlling the same

ABSTRACT

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a touch screen and at least one processor operatively coupled to the touch screen. The at least one processor is configured to display an execution screen of a first application on the touch screen, based on receiving a drag input for one of a plurality of pieces of content included in the execution screen of the first application, identify whether the drag input moves to a preset area, based on the drag input moving to the preset area, identify a second application related to a property of the one piece of content, based on receiving a drop input after the drag input, divide the touch screen based on a position at which the drop input is received, display the execution screen of the first application in a first divided area, and display an execution screen of the second application in a second divided area.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation application, claiming priority under§ 365(c), of an International application No. PCT/KR2022/011807, filedon Aug. 9, 2022, which is based on and claims the benefit of a Koreanpatent application number 10-2021-0105587, filed on Aug. 10, 2021, inthe Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to an electronic device supporting multiplewindows and a method of controlling the same.

BACKGROUND ART

As electronic devices have been equipped with various functions over therecent years, they offer various conveniences to users through variousapplications.

As such, a plurality of applications are available in an electronicdevice, which increases the importance of a technology of supportinginteraction between executed applications.

Accordingly, when executing a plurality of applications, the electronicdevice supports a multi-window function to display execution screens ofthe plurality of applications together through screen divide or pop-up.

The above information is presented as background information only toassist with an understanding of the disclosure. No determination hasbeen made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the abovemight be applicable as prior art with regard to the disclosure.

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

Conventionally, when content is selected on an application screen, a newscreen is displayed for the content. For example, when the content is alink, a web page for the selected link is displayed on a new screen, andwhen the content is an image, an image is displayed on a new screen.

In this case, a user should inconveniently go back to the previousscreen or close the new screen to see the previous screen.

Moreover, to activate an existing multi-window function, the user needsto apply a user input for activating the multi-window function anddirectly select an application to be displayed on each screen.

Therefore, to display application screens related to content of anexisting application screen in a multi-window manner, the user shouldapply a user input for activating the multi-window function, identify anapplication related to the content, and select the applicationsdirectly, which is annoying to the user.

Aspects of the disclosure are to address at least the above-mentionedproblems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantagesdescribed below. Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosure is to providean electronic device that displays an execution screen of an applicationrelated to content included in an application execution screen in amulti-window manner simply by a user input for the content, and a methodof controlling the same.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may belearned by practice of the presented embodiments.

Technical Solution

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, an electronic device isprovided. The electronic device includes a touch screen and at least oneprocessor operatively coupled to the touch screen. The at least oneprocessor is configured to display an execution screen of a firstapplication on the touch screen, based on receiving a drag input for oneof a plurality of pieces of content included in the execution screen ofthe first application, identify whether the drag input moves to a presetarea, when the drag input moves to the preset area, identify a secondapplication related to a property of the one piece of content, based onreceiving a drop input after the drag input, divide the touch screenbased on a position at which the drop input is received, display theexecution screen of the first application in a first divided area, anddisplay an execution screen of the second application in a seconddivided area.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a method ofcontrolling an electronic device is provided. The method includesdisplaying an execution screen of a first application on a touch screen,based on receiving a drag input for one of a plurality of pieces ofcontent included in the execution screen of the first application,identifying whether the drag input moves to a preset area, when the draginput moves to the preset area, identifying a second application relatedto a property of the one piece of content, based on receiving a dropinput after the drag input, dividing the touch screen based on aposition at which the drop input is received, displaying the executionscreen of the first application in a first divided area, and displayingan execution screen of the second application in a second divided area.

Advantageous Effects

According to various embodiments of the disclosure, an execution screenof an application related to content may be displayed in a multi-windowmanner simply by a drag-and-drop input for the content.

Further, according to various embodiments of the disclosure, as aplurality of applications related to content included in an applicationscreen are provided, a most suitable application may be selected.

Further, according to various embodiments of the disclosure, even thougha multi-window function is activated unintentionally by a dag input, themulti-window function may be cancelled by a user input for thecancellation, before execution of the multi-window function.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses various embodiments of the disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device in a networkenvironment according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating a multi-window operation based on adrag-and-drop input in an electronic device according to an embodimentof the disclosure;

FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating a multi-window operation based on adrag-and-drop input in an electronic device according to an embodimentof the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a multi-window operation based on adrag-and-drop input in an electronic device according to an embodimentof the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation of selecting content on anexecution screen of a first application according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure;

FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating an operation of displaying a guideview for a divided area by a drag input after content is selectedaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating an operation of displaying a guideview for a divided area by a drag input after content is selectedaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation in the case of a pluralityof second applications related to content according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating divided areas based on the positions ofdrop inputs according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating divided areas based on the positions ofdrop inputs according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a multi-window operation includingthree or more windows according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a multi-window operation includingthree or more windows according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a multi-window operation in a foldabledevice according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 12A is a diagram illustrating a multi-window operation in aslidable device according to an embodiment of the disclosure; and

FIG. 12B is a diagram illustrating a multi-window operation in aslidable device according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbersare used to depict the same or similar elements, features, andstructures.

MODE FOR INVENTION

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings isprovided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of variousembodiments of the disclosure as defined by the claims and theirequivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in thatunderstanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary.Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatvarious changes and modifications of the various embodiments describedherein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of thedisclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions andconstructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are notlimited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by theinventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of thedisclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in theart that the following description of various embodiments of thedisclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for thepurpose of limiting the disclosure as defined by the appended claims andtheir equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the”include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes referenceto one or more of such surfaces.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device in a networkenvironment according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1 , an electronic device 101 in a network environment100 may communicate with an external electronic device 102 via a firstnetwork 198 (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or atleast one of an electronic device 104 or a server 108 via a secondnetwork 199 (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network).According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may communicatewith the electronic device 104 via the server 108. According to anembodiment, the electronic device 101 may include a processor 120,memory 130, an input module 150, a sound output module 155, a displaymodule 160, an audio module 170, a sensor module 176, an interface 177,a connection terminal 178, a haptic module 179, a camera module 180, apower management module 188, a battery 189, a communication module 190,a subscriber identification module (SIM) 196, or an antenna module 197.In some embodiments, at least one of the components (e.g., theconnection terminal 178) may be omitted from the electronic device 101,or one or more other components may be added in the electronic device101. In some embodiments, some of the components (e.g., the sensormodule 176, the camera module 180, or the antenna module 197) may beimplemented as a single component (e.g., the display module 160).

The processor 120 may execute, for example, software (e.g., a program140) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware orsoftware component) of the electronic device 101 coupled with theprocessor 120, and may perform various data processing or computation.According to one embodiment, as at least part of the data processing orcomputation, the processor 120 may store a command or data received fromanother component (e.g., the sensor module 176 or the communicationmodule 190) in volatile memory 132, process the command or the datastored in the volatile memory 132, and store resulting data innon-volatile memory 134. According to an embodiment, the processor 120may include a main processor 121 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)or an application processor (AP)), or an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g.,a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit (NPU), animage signal processor (ISP), a sensor hub processor, or a communicationprocessor (CP)) that is operable independently from, or in conjunctionwith, the main processor 121. For example, when the electronic device101 includes the main processor 121 and the auxiliary processor 123, theauxiliary processor 123 may be adapted to consume less power than themain processor 121, or to be specific to a specified function. Theauxiliary processor 123 may be implemented as separate from, or as partof the main processor 121.

The auxiliary processor 123 may control at least some of functions orstates related to at least one component (e.g., the display module 160,the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) among thecomponents of the electronic device 101, instead of the main processor121 while the main processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state,or together with the main processor 121 while the main processor 121 isin an active state (e.g., executing an application). According to anembodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processoror a communication processor) may be implemented as part of anothercomponent (e.g., the camera module 180 or the communication module 190)functionally related to the auxiliary processor 123. According to anembodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., the neural processingunit) may include a hardware structure specified for artificialintelligence model processing. An artificial intelligence model may begenerated by machine learning. Such learning may be performed, e.g., bythe electronic device 101 where the artificial intelligence is performedor via a separate server (e.g., the server 108). Learning algorithms mayinclude, but are not limited to, e.g., supervised learning, unsupervisedlearning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning. Theartificial intelligence model may include a plurality of artificialneural network layers. The artificial neural network may be a deepneural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrentneural network (RNN), a restricted boltzmann machine (RBM), a deepbelief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network(BRDNN), deep Q-network or a combination of two or more thereof but isnot limited thereto. The artificial intelligence model may, additionallyor alternatively, include a software structure other than the hardwarestructure.

The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component(e.g., the processor 120 or the sensor module 176) of the electronicdevice 101. The various data may include, for example, software (e.g.,the program 140) and input data or output data for a command relatedthereto. The memory 130 may include the volatile memory 132 or thenon-volatile memory 134.

The program 140 may be stored in the memory 130 as software, and mayinclude, for example, an operating system (OS) 142, middleware 144, oran application 146.

The input module 150 may receive a command or data to be used by anothercomponent (e.g., the processor 120) of the electronic device 101, fromthe outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The inputmodule 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard,a key (e.g., a button), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

The sound output module 155 may output sound signals to the outside ofthe electronic device 101. The sound output module 155 may include, forexample, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for generalpurposes, such as playing multimedia or playing record. The receiver maybe used for receiving incoming calls. According to an embodiment, thereceiver may be implemented as separate from, or as part of the speaker.

The display module 160 may visually provide information to the outside(e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The display module 160 mayinclude, for example, a display, a hologram device, or a projector andcontrol circuitry to control a corresponding one of the display,hologram device, and projector. According to an embodiment, the displaymodule 160 may include a touch sensor adapted to detect a touch, or apressure sensor adapted to measure the intensity of force incurred bythe touch.

The audio module 170 may convert a sound into an electrical signal andvice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 may obtainthe sound via the input module 150, or output the sound via the soundoutput module 155 or a headphone of an external electronic device (e.g.,the external electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wiredly) orwirelessly coupled with the electronic device 101.

The sensor module 176 may detect an operational state (e.g., power ortemperature) of the electronic device 101 or an environmental state(e.g., a state of a user) external to the electronic device 101, andthen generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to thedetected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 mayinclude, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmosphericpressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gripsensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, abiometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or anilluminance sensor.

The interface 177 may support one or more specified protocols to be usedfor the electronic device 101 to be coupled with the external electronicdevice (e.g., the external electronic device 102) directly (e.g.,wiredly) or wirelessly. According to an embodiment, the interface 177may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI),a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) cardinterface, or an audio interface.

The connection terminal 178 may include a connector via which theelectronic device 101 may be physically connected with the externalelectronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 102). Accordingto an embodiment, the connection terminal 178 may include, for example,an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audioconnector (e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic module 179 may convert an electrical signal into a mechanicalstimulus (e.g., a vibration or a movement) or electrical stimulus whichmay be recognized by a user via his tactile sensation or kinestheticsensation. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 mayinclude, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electricstimulator.

The camera module 180 may capture a still image or moving images.According to an embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one ormore lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management module 188 may manage power supplied to theelectronic device 101. According to one embodiment, the power managementmodule 188 may be implemented as at least part of, for example, a powermanagement integrated circuit (PMIC).

The battery 189 may supply power to at least one component of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the battery 189 mayinclude, for example, a primary cell which is not rechargeable, asecondary cell which is rechargeable, or a fuel cell.

The communication module 190 may support establishing a direct (e.g.,wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel betweenthe electronic device 101 and the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 102, the electronic device 104, or the server 108) andperforming communication via the established communication channel. Thecommunication module 190 may include one or more communicationprocessors that are operable independently from the processor 120 (e.g.,the application processor (AP)) and supports a direct (e.g., wired)communication or a wireless communication. According to an embodiment,the communication module 190 may include a wireless communication module192 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wirelesscommunication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (e.g., a localarea network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication(PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules maycommunicate with the external electronic device via the first network198 (e.g., a short-range communication network, such as Bluetooth™,wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA))or the second network 199 (e.g., a long-range communication network,such as a legacy cellular network, a fifth generation (5G) network, anext-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computernetwork (e.g., LAN or wide area network (WAN)). These various types ofcommunication modules may be implemented as a single component (e.g., asingle chip), or may be implemented as multi components (e.g., multichips) separate from each other. The wireless communication module 192may identify and authenticate the electronic device 101 in acommunication network, such as the first network 198 or the secondnetwork 199, using subscriber information (e.g., international mobilesubscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identificationmodule 196.

The wireless communication module 192 may support a 5G network, after afourth generation (4G) network, and next-generation communicationtechnology, e.g., new radio (NR) access technology. The NR accesstechnology may support enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machinetype communications (mMTC), or ultra-reliable and low-latencycommunications (URLLC). The wireless communication module 192 maysupport a high-frequency band (e.g., the mmWave band) to achieve, e.g.,a high data transmission rate. The wireless communication module 192 maysupport various technologies for securing performance on ahigh-frequency band, such as, e.g., beamforming, massive multiple-inputand multiple-output (massive MIMO), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO),array antenna, analog beam-forming, or large scale antenna. The wirelesscommunication module 192 may support various requirements specified inthe electronic device 101, an external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 104), or a network system (e.g., the second network199). According to an embodiment, the wireless communication module 192may support a peak data rate (e.g., 20 Gbps or more) for implementingeMBB, loss coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) for implementing mMTC, orU-plane latency (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for each of downlink (DL) anduplink (UL), or a round trip of 1 ms or less) for implementing URLLC.

The antenna module 197 may transmit or receive a signal or power to orfrom the outside (e.g., the external electronic device) of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the antenna module197 may include an antenna including a radiating element composed of aconductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate(e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB)). According to an embodiment, theantenna module 197 may include a plurality of antennas (e.g., arrayantennas). In such a case, at least one antenna appropriate for acommunication scheme used in the communication network, such as thefirst network 198 or the second network 199, may be selected, forexample, by the communication module 190 (e.g., the wirelesscommunication module 192) from the plurality of antennas. The signal orthe power may then be transmitted or received between the communicationmodule 190 and the external electronic device via the selected at leastone antenna. According to an embodiment, another component (e.g., aradio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) other than the radiatingelement may be additionally formed as part of the antenna module 197.

According to various embodiments, the antenna module 197 may form anmmWave antenna module. According to an embodiment, the mmWave antennamodule may include a printed circuit board, an RFIC disposed on a firstsurface (e.g., the bottom surface) of the printed circuit board, oradjacent to the first surface and capable of supporting a designatedhigh-frequency band (e.g., the mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas(e.g., array antennas) disposed on a second surface (e.g., the top or aside surface) of the printed circuit board, or adjacent to the secondsurface and capable of transmitting or receiving signals of thedesignated high-frequency band.

At least some of the above-described components may be coupled mutuallyand communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween via aninter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purposeinput and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobileindustry processor interface (MIPI)).

According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted orreceived between the electronic device 101 and the external electronicdevice 104 via the server 108 coupled with the second network 199. Eachof the electronic devices 102 or 104 may be a device of a same type as,or a different type, from the electronic device 101. According to anembodiment, all or some of operations to be executed at the electronicdevice 101 may be executed at one or more of the external electronicdevices 102, 104, or 108. For example, if the electronic device 101should perform a function or a service automatically, or in response toa request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101,instead of, or in addition to, executing the function or the service,may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform atleast part of the function or the service. The one or more externalelectronic devices receiving the request may perform the at least partof the function or the service requested, or an additional function oran additional service related to the request, and transfer an outcome ofthe performing to the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101may provide the outcome, with or without further processing of theoutcome, as at least part of a reply to the request. To that end, acloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), orclient-server computing technology may be used, for example. Theelectronic device 101 may provide ultra low-latency services using,e.g., distributed computing or mobile edge computing. In anotherembodiment, the external electronic device 104 may include aninternet-of-things (IoT) device. The server 108 may be an intelligentserver using machine learning and/or a neural network. According to anembodiment, the external electronic device 104 or the server 108 may beincluded in the second network 199. The electronic device 101 may beapplied to intelligent services (e.g., smart home, smart city, smartcar, or healthcare) based on 5G communication technology or IoT-relatedtechnology.

FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating a multi-window operation based on adrag-and-drop input in an electronic device according to an embodimentof the disclosure.

FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating a multi-window operation based on adrag-and-drop input in an electronic device according to an embodimentof the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2A, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device101 of FIG. 1 or the processor 120 of FIG. 1 ) may display an executionscreen 210 of a first application. According to an embodiment, theelectronic device 101 may receive a selection of content 211 included inthe execution screen 210 of the first application. For example, theselection may be a touch or a long touch.

According to an embodiment, the content 211 included in the executionscreen 210 of the first application may be an image, video, or textincluded in the execution screen 210 of the first application.

Referring to FIG. 2B, according to an embodiment, content 213 includedin the execution screen 210 of the first application may be text in anaddress window included in the execution screen 210 of the firstapplication.

According to an embodiment, when the content 211 is selected and draggedto a specific area on the execution screen 210 of the first application,the electronic device 101 may activate a multi-window function.According to an embodiment, activating a multi-window function mayinclude identifying a divided area and identifying an applicationrelated to the selected content 211.

For example, when the content 211 is selected and then dragged to anedge area 212, the electronic device 101 may activate the multi-windowfunction, as illustrated in FIG. 2A. According to an embodiment, whencontent 213 is selected, the electronic device 101 may display a userinterface (UI) for activating the multi-window function, and when theselected content 213 is dragged to an area 214 for activating themulti-window function, activate the multi-window function, asillustrated in FIG. 2B.

According to an embodiment, when the content 211 and 213 is dragged to aspecific area and then dropped, the electronic device 101 may divide thescreen based on a dropped position, display the execution screen of thefirst application in a first divided area 220 among a plurality ofdivided areas, and display an execution screen of a second applicationrelated to the content 211 and 213 in a second divided area 221. Whilethe screen is shown as being divided into left and right areas in FIGS.2A and 2B, the disclosure is not limited to the left and right division.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4, 5A, 5B, 6 to 11, 12A, and 12B, an operation ofidentifying an application related to selected content and a screendividing operation will be described below in detail.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a multi-window operation based on adrag-and-drop input in an electronic device according to an embodimentof the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3 , in operation 310, an electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or the processor 120 of FIG. 1 ) maydisplay an execution screen of a first application on a touch screen(e.g., the display module 160 of FIG. 1 ).

For example, the electronic device may display the execution screen ofthe first application in a full screen on the touch screen based on auser input that selects an icon representing the first application.

According to an embodiment, in operation 320, based on receiving a draginput for one piece of content among a plurality of pieces of contentincluded in the execution screen of the first application, theelectronic device may identify whether the drag input has moved to apreset area.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may select one of theplurality of pieces of content included in the execution screen of thefirst application through a touch or a long touch, as illustrated inFIG. 4 .

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation of selecting content on anexecution screen of a first application according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4 , an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device101 of FIG. 1 or the processor 120 of FIG. 1 ) may display an executionscreen 410 of a first application on the touch screen (e.g., the displaymodule 160 of FIG. 1 ). According to an embodiment, while the executionscreen 410 of the first application is shown as a browser screen in FIG.4 , the disclosure is not limited thereto.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may receive aselection on one piece of content 411 from among a plurality of piecesof content included in the execution screen 410 of the firstapplication. For example, the content selection may be a touch or a longtouch. According to an embodiment, in the case where another function isalready mapped to the long touch, when the long touch is maintained fora preset time (e.g., 750 ms) after being recognized, the electronicdevice may identify that a user input for selecting the one piece ofcontent 411 has been received. While the selected one piece of content411 is shown as text in an address window in FIG. 4 , the one piece ofcontent 411 may also be text, an image, or a video included in theexecution screen 410 of the first application.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may identify whether adrag input is received after the one piece of content 411 is selectedthrough the touch or the long touch. For example, after receiving thetouch or the long touch on the one piece of content 411, the electronicdevice may identify whether a drag input is received immediately withouta release action that terminates the touch.

According to an embodiment, based on receiving a drag input for the onepiece of content 411, the electronic device may identify whether thefirst application supports a drag input (or drag-and-drop input) forcontent. According to an embodiment, before receiving the drag input forthe one piece of content 411, the electronic device may identify whethera drag input (or drag-and-drop input) for content is supported inoperation 310 in which the execution screen of the first application isdisplayed. According to an embodiment, when the first application doesnot support a drag input (or drag-and-drop input), the electronic devicemay not perform any separate operation in spite of reception of the draginput for the one piece of content 411.

Referring back to FIG. 3 , based on receiving the drag input for the onepiece of content 411, the electronic device may identify whether thefirst application supports a multi-window function. For example, theelectronic device may identify whether the first application supports atleast one multi-window function of screen dividing, pop-up, or freeform.

According to an embodiment, the first application may have metadata asdescribed in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 Name Value Description android: defaultWidth int Default sizewhen android: defaultHeight (dp unit, activity is made in e.g., “100”)Freeform android: minWidth int Minimum size android: minHeight (dp unit,available for e.g., “100”) activity when activity is made in MultiWindowandroid: resizeableActivity boolean Indicate whether application oractivity supports MultiWindow android: supportsPictureInPicture booleanIndicates whether activity supports picture in picture (PIP)

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may identify whetherthe multi-window function is supported based on state information aboutthe electronic device. For example, when the electronic device is in aspecific mode (e.g., kids' mode, save mode, emergency mode, or mobilekeyboard), the electronic device may identify that the multi-windowfunction is not supported.

According to an embodiment, it may be identified whether themulti-window function is supported based on a heating state of theelectronic device or a charging state of the battery. For example, eventhough the first application supports the multi-window function, whenthe heat of the electronic device is equal to or greater than a presetvalue or the charged level of the battery is less than a preset value,the electronic device may disable the multi-window function and identifythat the first application does not support the multi-window function.

While it has been described above that based on receiving the drag inputfor the content, it is identified whether the first application supportsthe multi-window function, based on receiving the touch or the longtouch for selecting the content before the drag input, it may beidentified whether the first application supports the multi-windowfunction. According to an embodiment, when the drag input for thecontent has moved to a preset area, it may be identified whether thefirst application supports the multi-window function. For example, thepreset area, which is an area for activating the multi-window function,may be an edge area of the touch screen, as illustrated in FIG. 2A orFIG. 5A, or an area where a UI for activating the multi-window functionis displayed, as illustrated in FIG. 2B.

According to an embodiment, when identifying that the first applicationdoes not support the multi-window function, the electronic device maynot perform any separate operation for the touch, the long touch, or thedrag input for the one piece of content.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may manage an activatesetting or a disable setting for the multi-window function by a keyvalue. For example, the electronic device may normally perform activatesetting, only when the same key value as used for requesting disablingof the multi-window function is used to request activating of themulti-window function. According to an embodiment, when disabling of aplurality of multi-window functions are requested in the past, theelectronic device may perform final activating setting, only when anactivating request is made for all keys used for the activatingrequests.

According to an embodiment, in operation 330, based on the drag inputmoving to the preset area, the electronic device may identify a secondapplication related to a property of the one piece of content. Forexample, the preset area, which is an area for activating themulti-window function, may be an edge of the touch screen or an areawhere a UI for activating the multi-window function is displayed.

According to an embodiment, when the coordinates of the drag input ischanged to the coordinates of the preset area, the electronic device mayidentify that the user intends to use the multi-window function andexecute the multi-window function.

According to an embodiment, when the drag input moves to the preset areaand then stays in the area for a preset time, the electronic device mayidentify that the user intends to use the multi-window function andexecute the multi-window function.

According to an embodiment, when the drag input moves to the preset areaand then leaves the preset area, the electronic device may provide afeedback (e.g., a vibration feedback or highlight). For example, whenthe drag input moves to the edge of the touch screen or the displayed UIarea, which is a preset area for activating the multi-window function,and then leaves the preset area within a preset time, the electronicdevice may provide a feedback to induce the user to move the drag inputback to the preset area. According to an embodiment, in the case of thepreset area where the UI for activating the multi-window function isconfigured, when the drag input moves to the preset area and leaves thepreset area within a preset time, the electronic device may maintain theUI displayed while providing a feedback.

According to an embodiment, an operation of executing a multi-windowfunction according to a user's drag input will be described below withreference to FIG. 5A.

According to an embodiment, when the multi-window function is supported,the electronic device may identify a property of the one piece ofselected content.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may identify theproperty of the selected content by identifying whether the type of theselected content is a multimedia file or text. According to anembodiment, the multimedia file may be in the form of a uniform resourceidentifier (URI) and include an image, video, or audio. According to anembodiment, the text may include simple text, text in a hypertext markuplanguage (HTML) format, or text having a format such as a phone number,an email address, a web address uniform resource locator (URL), or adate.

According to an embodiment, when the type of the content selected on theexecution screen of the first application is text, the electronic devicemay identify the property of the selected content by further performingtext analysis. For example, when the selected content is text, theelectronic device may identify whether the text is simple text, a phonenumber, an email address, a web address (URL), or a date through textanalysis.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may identify a secondapplication that is highly related to the property of the selectedcontent. According to an embodiment, the second application highlyrelated to the property of the content may mean a second application forexecuting or inputting the selected content based on the property of theselected content. For example, executing the content means playing ordisplaying the content, and inputting the content may mean inputting thecontent into a text input window included in the application.

According to an embodiment, the second application related to theproperty of the content will be described with reference to Table 2below.

TABLE 2 Content type Connection Detail Text-based Phone number Appchooser (Contact/Message/Phone, etc.) in chooser Email address Appchooser (Contact, Gmail, Outlook, etc.) in chooser URL .Default app Whendefault app is set, .App chooser directly execute corresponding app DateApp chooser (Outlook, Calendar, etc.) in chooser Address Google mapText-based Plain text App chooser (Note, Internet browsing) in chooserText-based URI (Image) App chooser Image view app (Gallery, Photos,etc.) in chooser URI (Video) App chooser Video view app in chooser URI(Audio) App chooser Video view app in chooser

According to an embodiment, referring to Table 2, when the content is aphone number, a contact application, a message application, or a callapplication may be identified as the second application. According to anembodiment, when the content is an email address, a contact applicationor a mail application may be identified as the second application.According to an embodiment, when the content is a web address (URL), aweb browser is identified as the second application, and the executionscreen of the second application may be a browser screen at the webaddress. According to an embodiment, when the content is a date, a mailapplication or a calendar application may be identified as the secondapplication. According to an embodiment, when the content is an address,a map application or a contact application may be identified as thesecond application.

According to an embodiment, when the content is plain text, theelectronic device may identify that there is no related application andidentify a predetermined application as the second application. Forexample, in the absence of any application related to the selectedcontent, the electronic device may identify one of a search applicationand a memo application as the second application.

According to an embodiment, one or more second applications related tothe selected content may be identified.

According to an embodiment, the second application may be different fromor identical to the first application.

According to an embodiment, in operation 340, based on receiving a dropinput after the drag input, the electronic device may divide the touchscreen based on a position at which the drop input has been received.For example, the electronic device may divide the touch screen such thatthe execution screen of the second application is displayed in an areaincluding the position at which the drop input has been received.According to an embodiment, the electronic device may divide the touchscreen left and right, up and down, or in a pop-up form according to theposition of the drop input. The screen dividing operation based on theposition of a drop input according to an embodiment will be describedbelow in more detail with reference to FIG. 7 .

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may display a guideview for a second divided area based on the drag input, after the draginput is moved to the preset area. For example, when identifying thatthat the user intends to activate the multi-window function based on themovement of the drag input to the preset area, the electronic device maydisplay a guide view to indicate the second divided area in which theexecution screen of the second application will be displayed to theuser. The operation of providing a guide view according to an embodimentwill be described below in more detail with reference to FIGS. 5A, 7,and 8 .

According to an embodiment, based on receiving a user input preset forcanceling the drag input after the drag input moves to the preset areafor activating the multi-window function, the operation based on thedrag input may be terminated. For example, the electronic device maydisplay a UI for cancellation after activating the multi-windowfunction, and when the drag input moves to the UI for cancellation andthe electronic device receives a drop input, the operation based on thedrag input may be terminated. For example, when the drag input moves tothe UI for cancellation and the drop input is received, the electronicdevice may cancel the drag input and the operation of activating themulti-window function. The drag input cancellation operation accordingto an embodiment will be described below in more detail with referenceto FIG. 7 .

According to an embodiment, in operation 350, the electronic device maydisplay the execution screen of the first application in a first dividedarea, and the execution screen of the second application in a seconddivided area.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may display the guideview according to the drag input, and, based on receiving the dropinput, divide the screen such that an area in which the guide view isdisplayed becomes the second divided area, and display the executionscreen of the first application in the first divided area and theexecution screen of the second application in the second divided area.

According to an embodiment, when identifying a plurality of secondapplications related to the property of the selected content, theelectronic device may display a list including the plurality of secondapplications in the second divided area.

According to an embodiment, upon selection of one second applicationfrom the list, the electronic device may display an execution screen ofthe selected second application in the second divided area. Theoperation of displaying a list including a plurality of secondapplications according to an embodiment will be described below withreference to FIG. 6 .

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may execute amulti-window function to include three or more divided areas through adrag-and-drop input.

According to an embodiment, based on receiving a second drag input forone piece of second content among a plurality of pieces of secondcontent included in the execution screen of the second application, theelectronic device may identify whether the second drag input has movedto a second preset area. Since this operation is the same as operation320, a redundant description will be avoided herein.

According to an embodiment, when the second drag input moves to thesecond preset area, a third application related to a property of the onepiece of second content may be identified. Since this operation is thesame as operation 330, a redundant description will be avoided herein.

According to an embodiment, based on receiving a second drop input afterthe second drag input, the electronic device may divide the seconddivided area into a third divided area and a fourth divided area, basedon a position at which the second drop input has been received.According to an embodiment, the electronic device may divide the firstdivided area into the third divided area and the fourth divided areabased on the position at which the second drop input has been received.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may display theexecution screen of the second application in the third divided area,and an execution screen of the third application in the fourth dividedarea. According to an embodiment, when identifying a plurality of thirdapplications, the electronic device may display a list including theplurality of third applications in the fourth divided area. According toan embodiment, upon selection of one third application from the list,the electronic device may display an execution screen of the selectedthird application in the fourth divided area. The multi-window operationincluding three or more divided areas according to an embodiment will bedescribed below with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 .

According to an embodiment, while the electronic device has beendescribed above as a bar type or a tablet type, when the electronicdevice is a foldable device, the electronic device may perform themulti-window function in further consideration of the hinge angle of thefoldable device. According to an embodiment, a multi-window operation inan electronic device which is a foldable device will be described belowin more detail with reference to FIG. 11 .

According to an embodiment, when the electronic device is a slidabledevice, the electronic device may perform the multi-window function inconsideration of the grip shape of a hand holding the electronic device.According to an embodiment, the multi-window operation in an electronicdevice which is a slidable device will be described below in more detailwith reference to FIGS. 12A and 12B.

FIG. 5A is a diagram an operation of displaying a guide view for adivided area through a drag input after content is selected according toan embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5A, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device101 of FIG. 1 or the processor 120 of FIG. 1 ) may display an executionscreen 510 of a first application.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may receive a draginput that selects content 511 included in the execution screen 510 ofthe first application and drags the selected content 511 to a presetarea 520. For example, the preset area 520 may be an edge of the touchscreen (e.g., the display module 160 of FIG. 1 ), and the electronicdevice may receive a user input that selects the content 511 included inthe execution screen 510 of the first application and drags the selectedcontent 511 to the edge of the touch screen (e.g. the display module 160of FIG. 1 ). According to an embodiment, when the drag input for thecontent 511 included in the execution screen 510 of the firstapplication is started, the electronic device may highlight the edge ofthe touch screen to indicate to the user that the preset area 520 foractivating the multi-window function is the edge of the touch screen.

According to an embodiment, the preset area may be a UI displayed foractivating the multi-window function, and the electronic device mayreceive a user input that selects the content 511 included in theexecution screen 510 of the first application and drags the selectedcontent 511 to the UI for activating the multi-window function.

According to an embodiment, when the content 511 included in theexecution screen 510 of the first application is selected through atouch or a long touch, a content image corresponding to the content 511may be displayed in a touched or long-touched area. When the drag inputis started, the electronic device may display the content image suchthat the content image moves according to the drag input.

FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating an operation of displaying a guideview for a divided area through a drag input after content is selectedaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5B, upon selection of content included in an executionscreen of a first application through a touch or a long touch, theelectronic device may display an icon image 512 of a second applicationrelated to the content in a touched or long-touched area. When a draginput is started, the electronic device may display the icon image 512of the second application such that the icon image 512 moves accordingto the drag input.

Returning to FIG. 5A, according to an embodiment, based on receiving theuser input that drags the content 511 to the preset area 520, theelectronic device may activate the multi-window function.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may display an area inwhich an execution screen of a second application corresponding to thecontent 511 is to be displayed, as a guide view 530.

According to an embodiment, based on receiving a drop input with theguide view 530 displayed, the electronic device may display theexecution screen of the first application in a first divided area wherethe guide view 530 is not displayed and the execution screen of thesecond application in a second slit area in which the guide view 530 isdisplayed.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation in the case of a pluralityof second applications related to content according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 6 , when an electronic device (e.g., the electronicdevice 101 of FIG. 1 or the processor 120 of FIG. 1 ) receives a dropinput in the case of a plurality of second applications related tocontent selected in a first application, the electronic device maydisplay a list 620 (e.g., App chooser) including the plurality of secondapplications in a second divided area 610. According to an embodiment,the list 620 may list the names of the plurality of second applicationsor icon images representing the plurality of second applications.

According to an embodiment, an application that is already running inanother divided area among the plurality of second applications may bemaintained in the list 620 or may be deleted from the list 620. Forexample, when an application that is already running in another dividedarea among the plurality of second applications is maintained in thelist 620, and the user selects the application that is already runningin another divided area from the list 620, the electronic device maydisplay an execution screen of the same application in the first dividedarea and the second divided area. For example, an execution screen ofthe first application including the content may be displayed in a firstdivided area, and an execution screen of the first application in whichthe content is executed or input may be displayed in a second dividedarea.

According to an embodiment, upon selection of an application from thelist 620, the electronic device may provide an option for executing theselected application only once or always executing the selectedapplication, in relation to a property of the selected content.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating divided areas based on the positions ofdrop inputs according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 7 , an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device101 of FIG. 1 or the processor 120 of FIG. 1 ) may display an executionscreen 710 of a first application.

According to an embodiment, when the electronic device receives a draginput for content included in the execution screen 710 of the firstapplication, and the drag input moves to a preset area, the electronicdevice may activate the multi-window function.

According to an embodiment, when the multi-window function is enabled,the electronic device may display a screen 720 providing drop positions.For example, the screen 720 providing the drop positions may include apop-up window, a left area, a right area, a top area, and a bottom area.Although the screen is divided into five areas in FIG. 7 , it may bedivided into four or fewer areas or six and more areas. According to anembodiment, the electronic device may skip the operation of displayingthe screen 720 providing the drop positions.

According to an embodiment, when the user's drag input moves to thepop-up window area, the electronic device may display a screen 730 thatdisplays a second divided area in a pop-up form, as a guide view at thecenter of the touch screen (e.g., the display module 160 of FIG. 1 ).According to an embodiment, the electronic device may further display aUI 731 for canceling both the drag input and the guide view. Accordingto an embodiment, when the drag input is moved to and then dropped onthe UI 731 for canceling the drag input, the electronic device maycancel both the drag input and the operation of activating themulti-window function and display the execution screen 710 of the firstapplication.

According to an embodiment, when the drag input of the user is moved tothe left area, the electronic device may divide the touch screen intothe left and right areas and display a screen 740 displaying the leftdivided area as a guide view. According to an embodiment, the electronicdevice may further display the UI for canceling the drag input togetherwith the guide view.

According to an embodiment, when the user's drag input is moved to theright area, the electronic device may divide the touch screen into theleft and right areas and display a screen 750 that displays the rightdivided area as a guide view. According to an embodiment, the electronicdevice may further display the UI for canceling the drag input togetherwith the guide view.

According to an embodiment, when the user's drag input is moved to thetop area, the electronic device may divide the touch screen into the topand bottom areas and display a screen 760 that displays the top dividedarea as a guide view. According to an embodiment, the electronic devicemay further display the UI for canceling the drag input together withthe guide view.

According to an embodiment, when the user's drag input is moved to thebottom area, the electronic device may divide the touch screen into thetop and bottom areas and display a screen 770 that displays the bottomdivided area as a guide view. According to an embodiment, the electronicdevice may further display the UI for canceling the drag input togetherwith the guide view.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating divided areas based on the positions ofdrop inputs according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 8 , when the multi-window function is enabled throughselection of content included in an execution screen of a firstapplication (e.g., App A) and reception of a drag input, and the draginput is moved to the right on the touch screen (e.g., the displaymodule 160 of FIG. 1 ), an electronic device (e.g., the electronicdevice 101 of FIG. 1 or the processor 120 of FIG. 1 ) may divide thetouch screen into left and right areas and display a screen 810 fordisplaying a guide view indicating that an execution screen of a secondapplication (e.g., App B) related to the content is to be displayed inthe right divided area.

According to an embodiment, based on receiving a drop input with theguide view displayed in the right divided area, the electronic devicemay display a screen 811 that displays the execution screen of thesecond application in the right divided area and the execution screen ofthe first application in the left divided area in which the guide viewis not displayed.

According to an embodiment, based on receiving a drag input movingupward on the touch screen without a drop input while displaying thescreen 810 that displays the guide view indicating that the executionscreen of the second application related to the content is to bedisplayed in the right divided area, the electronic device may dividethe touch screen into top and bottom areas and display a screen 820displaying a guide view indicating that the execution screen of thesecond application related to the content is to be displayed in a topdivided area.

According to an embodiment, based on receiving a drop input with theguide view displayed in the top divided area, the electronic device maydisplay a screen 821 that displays the execution screen of the secondapplication in the top divided area in which the guide view isdisplayed, and the execution screen of the first application in a bottomdivided area in which the guide view is not displayed.

According to an embodiment, based on receiving a drag input moving to apop-up window area located at the center of the touch screen without adrop input while displaying the screen 820 that displays the guide viewindicating that the execution screen of the second application is to bedisplayed in the top divided area, the electronic device may display ascreen 830 displaying a guide view indicating that the execution screenof the second application related to the content is to be displayed inthe divided area at the center of the touch screen.

According to an embodiment, based on receiving a drop input with theguide view displayed in the center divided area, the electronic devicemay display a screen 831 that displays the execution screen of thesecond application in the center divided area in which the guide view isdisplayed, and the execution screen of the first application in anotherarea in which the guide view is not displayed.

In this way, the electronic device may provide a guide view that ischanged according to movement of a drag input before a drop input, andinduce the user to execute the multi-window function in a desireddivided area.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a multi-window operation includingthree or more windows according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 9 , an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device101 of FIG. 1 or the processor 120 of FIG. 1 ) may display a screen 910including a first divided area and a second divided area. For example,an execution screen of a first application (e.g., App A) may bedisplayed in the first divided area, and an execution screen of a secondapplication (e.g., App B) related to content selected on the executionscreen of the first application may be displayed in the second dividedarea.

According to an embodiment, when the electronic device receives a draginput for second content (e.g., content 2) on the execution screen ofthe first application, and the drag input moves to an area preset foractivating the multi-window function, the electronic device may displaya screen 920 that provides drop positions. For example, the screen 920providing the drop positions may include a pop-up window area, a lefttop area, a right top area, a left bottom area, a right bottom area, anda replace area. According to an embodiment, when the drag input is movedto the replace area, the first divided area or the second divided areamay be replaced with an execution screen of a third application relatedto the second content. Although the screen is divided into seven areasin FIG. 9 , it may be divided into six or fewer areas or eight or moreareas. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may skip theoperation of displaying the screen 920 providing the drop positions.

According to an embodiment, based on receiving a drop input after thedrag input is moved to the left bottom area, the electronic device mayvertically divide the first divided area of the first divided area andthe second divided area to display a screen 930 including three windows.According to an embodiment, the electronic device may divide the firstdivided area up and down, and display the execution screen of the firstapplication in a third divided area corresponding to the top area of thefirst divided area, and display an execution screen of a thirdapplication related to second content in a fourth divided areacorresponding to the bottom area of the first divided area.

According to an embodiment, when there are a plurality of thirdapplications related to the second content, the electronic device maydisplay a screen 940 that displays a list 941 including the plurality ofthird applications in the fourth divided area.

Although FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment in which content included inthe execution screen of the first application is selected as the secondcontent, content included in the execution screen of the secondapplication may be selected as the second content.

In addition, although FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment in which a dropinput is received after a drag input is moved to the left bottom area,the execution screen of the third application may be displayed in thetop divided area of the first divided area according to a position atwhich the drop input is received, the second divided area may be dividedup and down to display the execution screen of the third application inthe top or bottom divided area of the second divided area, the executionscreen of the third application may be displayed in the form of a pop-upbetween the first divided area and the second divided area, or theexecution screen of the first application or the execution screen of thesecond application may be replaced with the execution screen of thethird application without an additional dividing.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a multi-window operation includingthree or more windows according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 10 , an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device101 of FIG. 1 or the processor 120 of FIG. 1 ) may display a screen 1010including a plurality of execution screens through multipledrag-and-drop inputs. For example, the electronic device may display thescreen 1010 including five execution screens through four drag-and-dropinputs, and the five execution screens may be arranged in left, righttop and right bottom areas, and two pop-up forms.

According to an embodiment, when the electronic device receives aselection of content 1011 and a drag input for content 1012 included inone of the plurality of execution screens, and the drag input moves to apreset area 1013, the electronic device may identify that the userintends to add a window.

According to an embodiment, when an application related to the content1012 is already running, the electronic device may display a screen 1020including a message 1021 “No more application to open a selected contentor No more application to be launched.”

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a multi-window operation in a foldabledevice according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 11 , when an electronic device (e.g., the electronicdevice 101 of FIG. 1 or the processor 120 of FIG. 1 ) receives a userinput that selects content 1111 included in an execution screen 1110 ofa first application through a touch or a long touch in a fully unfoldedstate and transitions to a flex mode 1120 in which a hinge of theelectronic device is folded only by half, the electronic device mayactivate the multi-window function. For example, when the electronicdevice is switched to the flex mode 1120 after the content 1111 isselected, the electronic device may divide the touch screen up and downwith respect to the hinge. According to an embodiment, the electronicdevice may display an execution screen 1130 of a first application andan execution screen 1131 of a second application related to the content1111 in respective divided areas, based on a position at which a dropinput for the touch or long touch is received, after switching to theflex mode 1120. For example, based on receiving the drop input for thetouch or long touch on the content 1111 in a top divided area afterswitching to the flex mode 1120, the electronic device may display theexecution screen 1131 of the second application in the top divided areaand the execution screen 1130 of the first application in a bottomdivided area.

FIG. 12A is a diagram illustrating a multi-window operation in aslidable device according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Forexample, FIG. 12A illustrates an embodiment in which the electronicdevice is gripped with the left hand.

FIG. 12B is a diagram illustrating a multi-window operation in aslidable device according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Forexample, FIG. 12B illustrates an embodiment in which the electronicdevice is gripped with the right hand.

Referring to FIG. 12A, when content 1212 included in an execution screen1210 of a first application is selected by a touch or a long touch, anda drag input is moved to a preset area for activating the multi-windowfunction in an electronic device in a shrunken state held with a lefthand 1211, the electronic device may extend a touch screen (e.g., thedisplay module 160 of FIG. 1 ) to the right 1220 based on being grippedby the left hand 1211.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may display theexecution screen of the first application in a left divided area 1230,which is the existing area of the touch screen, and display an executionscreen of a second application related to content in a right dividedarea 1231, which is the extended area of the touch screen.

Referring to FIG. 12B, when content included in an execution screen of afirst application is selected by a touch or a long touch, and a draginput is moved to a preset area for activating a multi-window functionin an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 orthe processor 120 of FIG. 1 ) in a shrunken state held with a right hand1213, the electronic device may extend a touch screen (e.g., the displaymodule 160 of FIG. 1 ) to the left 1240, based on being gripped with theright hand 1213.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may display theexecution screen of the first application in a right divided area 1250which is the existing area of the touch screen, and display an executionscreen of a second application related to the content in a left dividedarea 1251 which is the extended area of the touch screen.

In the slidable electronic device as described above, the executionaspect of the multi-window may vary according to the gripping position.

According to an embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., the electronicdevice 101 of FIG. 1 ) may include a touch screen (e.g., the displaymodule 160 of FIG. 1 ) and at least one processor (e.g., the processor120 of FIG. 1 ) operatively coupled to the touch screen. The at leastone processor may be configured to display an execution screen of afirst application on the touch screen, based on receiving a drag inputfor one piece of content of a plurality of pieces of content included inthe execution screen of the first application, identify whether the draginput moves to a preset area, when the drag input moves to the presetarea, identify a second application related to a property of the onepiece of content, based on receiving a drop input after the drag input,divide the touch screen based on a position at which the drop input isreceived, display the execution screen of the first application in afirst divided area, and display an execution screen of the secondapplication in a second divided area.

According to an embodiment, the at least one processor may be configuredto, based on receiving the drag input for the one piece of content,identify whether the first application supports a multi-window function,and when the multi-window function is supported, identify the propertyof the one piece of content.

According to an embodiment, the at least one processor may be configuredto identify the property of the one piece of content by identifyingwhether a type of the one piece of content is a multimedia file or text,and when the type of the one piece of content is text, identify theproperty of the one piece of content by further performing textanalysis.

According to an embodiment, the at least one processor may be configuredto disable the multi-window function based on a heating state of theelectronic device or a charging state of a battery.

According to an embodiment, the at least one processor may be configuredto identify the second application for executing or inputting the onepiece of content, based on the property of the one piece of content.

According to an embodiment, the at least one processor may be configuredto identify one of a search application and a memo application as thesecond application, in the absence of an application related to the onepiece of content.

According to an embodiment, the second application may be identical tothe first application.

According to an embodiment, the at least one processor may be configuredto, when a plurality of second applications related to the property ofthe one piece of content are identified, display a list including theplurality of second applications in the second divided area, and whenone second application is selected from the list, display an executionscreen of the selected second application in the second divided area.

According to an embodiment, the at least one processor may be configuredto display a guide view for the second divided area based on the draginput after the drag input moves to the preset area.

According to an embodiment, the at least one processor may be configuredto end an operation based on the drag input, in response to receiving apreset user input for canceling the drag input after the drag inputmoves to the preset area.

According to an embodiment, the at least one processor may be configuredto, based on receiving a second drag input for one of a plurality ofpieces of second content included in the execution screen of the secondapplication, identify whether the second drag input moves to a secondpreset area, when the second drag input moves to the second preset area,identify a third application related to a property of the one piece ofsecond content, based on receiving a second drop input after the seconddrag input, divide the second divided area into a third divided area anda fourth divided area based on a position at which the second drop inputis received, display the execution screen of the second application inthe third divided area, and display an execution screen of the thirdapplication in the fourth divided area.

According to an embodiment, a method of controlling an electronic device(e.g., the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 ) may include displaying anexecution screen of a first application on a touch screen (e.g., thedisplay module 160 of FIG. 1 ), based on receiving a drag input for oneof a plurality of pieces of content included in the execution screen ofthe first application, identifying whether the drag input moves to apreset area, when the drag input moves to the preset area, identifying asecond application related to a property of the one piece of content,based on receiving a drop input after the drag input, dividing the touchscreen based on a position at which the drop input is received,displaying the execution screen of the first application in a firstdivided area, and displaying an execution screen of the secondapplication in a second divided area.

According to an embodiment, the method may further include based onreceiving the drag input for the one piece of content, identifyingwhether the first application supports a multi-window function, and whenthe multi-window function is supported, identifying the property of theone piece of content.

According to an embodiment, identifying the property of the one piece ofcontent may include identifying the property of the one piece of contentby identifying whether a type of the one piece of content is amultimedia file or text, and when the type of the one piece of contentis text, identifying the property of the one piece of content by furtherperforming text analysis.

According to an embodiment, identifying whether the first applicationsupports a multi-window function may include disabling the multi-windowfunction based on a heating state of the electronic device or a chargingstate of a battery.

According to an embodiment, identifying the second application mayinclude identifying the second application for executing or inputtingthe one piece of content, based on the property of the one piece ofcontent.

According to an embodiment, identifying the second application mayinclude, in the absence of an application related to the one piece ofcontent, identifying one of a search application and a memo applicationas the second application.

According to an embodiment, displaying the execution screen of thesecond application in the second divided area may include, when aplurality of second applications related to the property of the onepiece of content are identified, displaying a list including theplurality of second applications in the second divided area, and whenone second application is selected from the list, displaying anexecution screen of the selected second application in the seconddivided area.

According to an embodiment, the method may further include, in responseto receiving a preset user input for canceling the drag input after thedrag input moves to the preset area, ending an operation based on thedrag input.

According to an embodiment, the method may further include, based onreceiving a second drag input for one of a plurality of pieces of secondcontent included in the execution screen of the second application,identifying whether the second drag input moves to a second preset area,when the second drag input moves to the second preset area, identifyinga third application related to a property of the one piece of secondcontent, based on receiving a second drop input after the second draginput, dividing the second divided area into a third divided area and afourth divided area based on a position at which the second drop inputis received, displaying the execution screen of the second applicationin the third divided area, and displaying an execution screen of thethird application in the fourth divided area.

The electronic device according to various embodiments may be one ofvarious types of electronic devices. The electronic devices may include,for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smartphone), acomputer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medicaldevice, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. According toan embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic devices are not limitedto those described above.

It should be appreciated that various embodiments of the disclosure andthe terms used therein are not intended to limit the technologicalfeatures set forth herein to particular embodiments and include variouschanges, equivalents, or replacements for a corresponding embodiment.With regard to the description of the drawings, similar referencenumerals may be used to refer to similar or related elements. As usedherein, each of such phrases as “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “atleast one of A or B,” “A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and“at least one of A, B, or C” may include any one of, or all possiblecombinations of the items enumerated together in a corresponding one ofthe phrases. As used herein, such terms as “1^(st)” and “2^(nd)” or“first” and “second” may be used to simply distinguish a correspondingcomponent from another, and does not limit the components in otheraspect (e.g., importance or order). It is to be understood that if anelement (e.g., a first element) is referred to, with or without the term“operatively” or “communicatively,” as “coupled with,” “coupled to,”“connected with,” or “connected to” another element (e.g., a secondelement), it means that the element may be coupled with the otherelement directly (e.g., wiredly), wirelessly, or via a third element.

As used in connection with various embodiments of the disclosure, theterm “module” may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, orfirmware, and may interchangeably be used with other terms, for example,logic, logic block, part, or circuitry. A module may be a singleintegral component, or a minimum unit or part thereof, adapted toperform one or more functions. For example, according to an embodiment,the module may be implemented in a form of an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as software(e.g., the program 140) including one or more instructions that arestored in a storage medium (e.g., an internal memory 136 or an externalmemory 138) that is readable by a machine (e.g., the electronic device101). For example, a processor (e.g., the processor 120) of the machine(e.g., the electronic device 101) may invoke at least one of the one ormore instructions stored in the storage medium, and execute it, with orwithout using one or more other components under the control of theprocessor. This allows the machine to be operated to perform at leastone function according to the at least one instruction invoked. The oneor more instructions may include a code generated by a complier or acode executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage mediummay be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. The term‘non-transitory’ simply means that the storage medium is a tangibledevice, and does not include a signal (e.g., an electromagnetic wave),but this term does not differentiate between where data issemi-permanently stored in the storage medium and where the data istemporarily stored in the storage medium.

According to an embodiment, a method according to various embodiments ofthe disclosure may be included and provided in a computer programproduct. The computer program product may be traded as a product betweena seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed inthe form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc readonly memory (CD-ROM)), or be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded)online via an application store (e.g., PlayStore™, or between two userdevices (e.g., smart phones) directly. If distributed online, at leastpart of the computer program product may be temporarily generated or atleast temporarily stored in the machine-readable storage medium, such asmemory of the manufacturer's server, a server of the application store,or a relay server.

According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or aprogram) of the above-described components may include a single entityor multiple entities, and some of the multiple entities may beseparately disposed in different components. According to variousembodiments, one or more of the above-described components may beomitted, or one or more other components may be added. Alternatively oradditionally, a plurality of components (e.g., modules or programs) maybe integrated into a single component. In such a case, according tovarious embodiments, the integrated component may still perform one ormore functions of each of the plurality of components in the same orsimilar manner as they are performed by a corresponding one of theplurality of components before the integration. According to variousembodiments, operations performed by the module, the program, or anothercomponent may be carried out sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, orheuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in adifferent order or omitted, or one or more other operations may beadded.

While the disclosure has been shown and described with reference tovarious embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled inthe art that various changes in form and details may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as definedby the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device comprising: a touch screen;and at least one processor operatively coupled to the touch screen,wherein the at least one processor is configured to: display anexecution screen of a first application on the touch screen, based onreceiving a drag input for one piece of content of a plurality of piecesof content included in the execution screen of the first application,identify whether the drag input moves to a preset area, based on thedrag input moving to the preset area, identify a second applicationrelated to a property of the one piece of content, based on a drop inputafter receiving the drag input, divide the touch screen based on aposition at which the drop input is received, and display the executionscreen of the first application in a first divided area, and display anexecution screen of the second application in a second divided area. 2.The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor isfurther configured to: based on the receiving of the drag input for theone piece of content, identify whether the first application supports amulti-window function, and based on the multi-window function beingsupported, identify the property of the one piece of content.
 3. Theelectronic device of claim 2, wherein the at least one processor isfurther configured to: identify the property of the one piece of contentby identifying whether a type of the one piece of content is amultimedia file or text, and based on the type of the one piece ofcontent being text, identify the property of the one piece of content byfurther performing text analysis.
 4. The electronic device of claim 2,wherein the at least one processor is further configured to disable themulti-window function based on a heating state of the electronic deviceor a charging state of a battery of the electronic device.
 5. Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor isfurther configured to, based on the property of the one piece ofcontent, identify the second application for executing or inputting theone piece of content.
 6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein theat least one processor is further configured to, based on no applicationbeing related to the one piece of content, identify a search applicationor a memo application as the second application.
 7. The electronicdevice of claim 1, wherein the second application is identical to thefirst application.
 8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the atleast one processor is further configured to: based on identifying aplurality of second applications related to the property of the onepiece of content, display a list including the plurality of secondapplications in the second divided area, and based on one secondapplication being selected from the list, display an execution screen ofthe selected second application in the second divided area.
 9. Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor isfurther configured to, based on the drag input after the drag inputmoves to the preset area, display a guide view for the second dividedarea.
 10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least oneprocessor is further configured to, in response to receiving a presetuser input for canceling the drag input after the drag input moves tothe preset area, end an operation based on the drag input.
 11. Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor isfurther configured to: based on receiving a second drag input for onepiece of second content of a plurality of pieces of second contentincluded in the execution screen of the second application, identifywhether the second drag input moves to a second preset area, based onthe second drag input moving to the second preset area, identify a thirdapplication related to a property of the one piece of second content,based on receiving a second drop input after receiving the second draginput, divide the second divided area into a third divided area and afourth divided area based on a position at which the second drop inputis received, and display the execution screen of the second applicationin the third divided area, and display an execution screen of the thirdapplication in the fourth divided area.
 12. A method of controlling anelectronic device, the method comprising: displaying an execution screenof a first application on a touch screen; based on receiving a draginput for one piece of content of a plurality of pieces of contentincluded in the execution screen of the first application, identifyingwhether the drag input moves to a preset area; based on the drag inputmoving to the preset area, identifying a second application related to aproperty of the one piece of content; based on receiving a drop inputafter receiving the drag input, dividing the touch screen based on aposition at which the drop input is received; and displaying theexecution screen of the first application in a first divided area, anddisplaying an execution screen of the second application in a seconddivided area.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: based onreceiving the drag input for the one piece of content, identifyingwhether the first application supports a multi-window function; andbased on the multi-window function being supported, identifying theproperty of the one piece of content.
 14. The method of claim 13,wherein the identifying of the property of the one piece of contentcomprises: identifying the property of the one piece of content byidentifying whether a type of the one piece of content is a multimediafile or text; and based on the type of the one piece of content beingtext, identifying the property of the one piece of content by furtherperforming text analysis.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein theidentifying of whether the first application supports the multi-windowfunction comprises disabling the multi-window function based on aheating state of the electronic device or a charging state of a batteryof the electronic device.
 16. The method of claim 12, wherein theidentifying of the second application comprises identifying the secondapplication for executing or inputting the one piece of content, basedon the property of the one piece of content.
 17. The method of claim 16,wherein the identifying of the second application further comprises,based on no an application being related to the one piece of content,identifying a search application or a memo application as the secondapplication.
 18. The method of claim 12, wherein the displaying of theexecution screen of the second application in the second divided areacomprises: based in identifying a plurality of second applicationsrelated to the property of the one piece of content, displaying a listincluding the plurality of second applications in the second dividedarea; and based on one second application being selected from the list,displaying an execution screen of the selected second application in thesecond divided area.
 19. The method of claim 12, further comprising: inresponse to receiving a preset user input for canceling the drag inputafter the drag input moves to the preset area, ending an operation basedon the drag input.
 20. The method of claim 12, further comprising: basedon receiving a second drag input for one piece of second content of aplurality of pieces of second content included in the execution screenof the second application, identifying whether the second drag inputmoves to a second preset area; based on the second drag input moving tothe second preset area, identifying a third application related to aproperty of the one piece of second content; based on receiving a seconddrop input after receiving the second drag input, dividing the seconddivided area into a third divided area and a fourth divided area basedon a position at which the second drop input is received; and displayingthe execution screen of the second application in the third dividedarea, and displaying an execution screen of the third application in thefourth divided area.
 21. The method of claim 12, further comprising: inresponse to a starting of the drag input, highlight an edge area of thetouch screen to indicate that the preset area comprises the edge area ofthe touch screen.
 22. The method of claim 13, wherein the preset areacomprises at least one of an edge area of the touch screen or a userinterface (UI) area where a UI is displayed for enabling themulti-window function.
 23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:based on the drag input moving to the edge area of the touch screen orthe UI area and then leaving within a preset time from arriving at theedge area or the UI area, outputting feedback to induce a user to movethe drag input back to the edge area or the UI area.
 24. The method ofclaim 23, wherein the feedback comprises a vibration feedback or ahighlight feedback, and wherein the method further comprises maintainingthe displaying of the UI while providing the feedback.